


Petulance

by lieutenantaclassi



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 16:33:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10723086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lieutenantaclassi/pseuds/lieutenantaclassi
Summary: Clarus was sure that wars had been started over less than Regis' backhanded compliments.He really had to get the king out of the ballroom before he'd make Accordo proclaim war upon Lucis.





	Petulance

Those who didn’t know king Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII probably thought that he actually enjoyed the galas and parties that he once in a while hosted at the citadel in Insomnia. He’d smile kindly, deliver speeches and mingle around with guests, both important ones and even the ones regarded as less important (in the council’s eyes, at least). 

But they couldn’t be more wrong.

Clarus had been serving Regis since he was a teenage boy, and back then Regis had enjoyed those parties, but only because it was an excuse to manage to grab a couple of extra glasses of champagne, or to flirt with Aulea way before they had gotten together.

Nowadays the king was bored with parties, galas and balls. It was always the same thing, and since he was the host he could hardly get away with getting drunk, and the hangovers weren’t worth it these days. Clarus was glad that Regis had stopped, because Regis with a hangover meant endless complaining if they were in private.

So Regis would suffer through the night, but Clarus would witness how he went from a patient and kind king to a sarcastic and vicious  _beast_ that needed to be caged before something terrible would happen.

Regis would get crankier and crankier the longer he’d have to stay and mingle, and in the end he’d start giving out really backhanded compliments to his guests.

And Clarus was sure that some wars had been started over less. That was how he found himself stepping in to stop a conversation between Regis and an ambassador from Accordo that he felt was spiraling out of control. If he didn’t stop Regis, he wasn’t sure what it would do to the countries’ relationship. It certainly wouldn’t be good, of that much was he certain.

“Your Majesty… I’m afraid there is something that requires your attention,” Clarus said with a stiff smile on his face before turning to the ambassador, “I’m terribly sorry, my lord, but I have to borrow the king for a while.”

“Oh no worries,” the ambassador said, “I am sure there will be time to continue the conversation at another time!”

“Clarus, what could possibly so important that you have to take me away from my _esteemed_ guests?” Regis asked with an innocent look on his face, “They came all the way from Accordo, you know, and we were just discussing the latest fashion that -,”

“I _insist_ ,” Clarus urged and even grabbed Regis arm, staring at him, “Please, your Majesty, it is of utmost  _importance_.”

Regis sighed heavily and rolled his eyes before turning back towards the ambassador and his wife.

“I regrettably have to take my leave,” Regis made a huge effort to sound disappointed, “I’m truly heartbroken over the fact that I do not get to hear the history about that _lovely_ hat. It will surely keep me up at night. How will I go on without knowing the full story?”

Clarus didn’t care that he was being rude, he had to do something fast so he simply started pulling the king away urgently before Regis had a chance to say anything more, or before the ambassador could catch on to what the king was doing. He didn’t stop until he had dragged Regis out onto an empty balcony, there he turned to face the king, fury in his eyes.

“Are you out of your mind?” Clarus asked bluntly, “I swear, even your son behaves better than you do during these parties, and he’s a teenager!”

“What do you mean, Clarus?” Regis asked with a raised eyebrow, “I was simply making conversation with the ambassador and his lovely wife. Is that a crime?”

“You mean you were _insulting_ the ambassador and his wife,” Clarus pointed accusingly at Regis, “It’s bad enough that we’re at war with Niflheim… so can you _please_ try to refrain from accidentally starting a war with Accordo, too?”

“I am afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Regis feigned ignorance, “I was simply complimenting the ambassador for his quite unique choice of outfit.”

“I heard what you said, and I quote your words,” Clarus began and repeated the exact words Regis had said before he had decided to intervene, “I wasn’t aware that plebeian chic was the latest fashion in Accordo. That’s what you said.”

Regis hummed and frowned, looking deep in thought for a moment as he gazed up at the stars.

“Ah, I see. I might have been slightly offensive in my choice of wording.”

“You don’t say?”

“Perhaps I should issue an official apology,” Regis said with a nod, smiling at Clarus, “After all, I now realize that statement was very offensive to the commoners, they _do_ dress a lot better than him. No one should have to be compared to his sense of fashion… or rather _lack_ of fashion sense.”

For a moment Clarus had thought that just _maybe_ he had gotten through to Regis, but it appeared he was a lost cause for the rest of the night. The beast had emerged, and it was out for blood.

“By the Six,” Clarus pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. His patience was wearing thin, “That’s it. I’m sending you to _bed_.”

“You can’t order me to do that,” Regis huffed and crossed his arms, “I’m the king, and I’m expected to remain at the party.”

“You don’t even _want_ to be there, Regis,” Clarus sounded pained as he spoke, “You _hate_ these parties.”

When Regis got cranky he was a handful to deal with. Even two handfuls, Clarus would argue. It was like dealing with a petulant and defiant child. Not even Gladio or Iris had been as frustrating to deal with as children, yet the _king_ of Lucis managed to pull that off.

Regis didn’t want to be at that party, but when Clarus tried to command him to go to bed, the defiance kicked in. Suddenly Regis would claim that he wanted to remain, that he had a duty and responsibility to stay. But they both knew that the only thing that would happen would be Regis going back to that room, making more unnecessary comments.

“I don't think I shall listen to you,” Regis looked away from Clarus, refusing to look into his eyes, “I do not think I have any reason to obey you, do I?”

“If you listen to me I might just reward you for being a _good_ king who listens to his shield’s wise words,” Clarus said. He was close to pleading.

That seemed to pique Regis’ interest because he glanced at Clarus briefly, “Reward, you say?”

“Yes, a reward.”

“Hm, that depends. What reward are we talking about?”

“I’ll come with you to your room,” Clarus stated and stepped forward, grabbing a hold of Regis’ shirt and pulling him a bit closer. But not close enough to raise suspicion in case someone were watching, “And from there on… we’ll see. If you go back to the party, I’ll go back to my house.”

“I could just order you to stay,” Regis argued, “Have you forgotten that I’m the king?”

“That’d be abuse of power,” Clarus rolled his eyes, “Come on, let’s leave. Your son is 16, he should be getting used to hosting these things. Let him be the one to see the guests off.”

Regis let out a laugh at that and for the first time since the party had started he looked a bit more relaxed, and the smile on his face seemed genuine. It was nothing like the many smiles he had forced onto his face as the night had progressed.

“If Noctis tries to blame me for this later -,”

“I’ll take the blame, just _please_ let me take you back to your chambers?”

Regis sighed but nodded in defeat. Clarus linked his arm with Regis and pulled him back into the room, trying to pick the path that meant running into less people. Thankfully Clarus had a really serious and determined expression on his face, stopping most from interacting with them as they made their way towards the exit.

On the way he made sure to quickly tell Cor to in turn tell Noctis that he now was in charge of hosting the party. Cor’s face fell, surely not looking forward to relaying the news to the young prince, but he didn’t have any time to protest before Clarus had started pulling Regis out of the room.

He didn’t relax until they finally were out of the ballroom.

“You are very eager to get me into bed, Clarus."

“And you are worse than a child,” Clarus said, letting some irritation seep into his voice, “Iris could behave better than you when she was _six_. You are _46_ , Regis. Maybe I should spank you instead of rewarding you for such behavior.”

Regis grinned and turned his face to Clarus, winking at him, “You call that punishment? I think I might like that.”

“You’re absolutely impossible.”

“That’s one of many reasons why you love me so much.”

Clarus couldn’t help smiling weakly. His king could certainly be hard to deal with, but at the end of the day he really did love Regis for being who he was. Even when he was being childish and stubborn.

Perhaps it even made him love him more, it reminded of past days, when Regis just had been a young prince. When things had been easier.

“One of many reasons, yes,” Clarus agreed after a while, “But I swear you’ll be the death of me one day.”

“We can’t have that,” Regis chuckled as they arrived at his room. Clarus opened the door and pulled Regis inside, “What will I do without my trustworthy shield?” 

“If I hadn’t stepped in tonight you might have been forced to spend tomorrow sending out diplomats to Accordo to avoid war, simply because you did not fancy the ambassador’s choice of clothes.”

“To be honest, his wife’s hat was what got to me the most,” Regis admitted as he started to undress, “Did you see it?” 

Instead of neatly folding his clothes, like Clarus would do, Regis simply let his pieces of clothing unceremoniously fall to the floor.

“Regis, stop it,” Clarus groaned as he sat down on Regis’ bed, starting to also undress, “I’m tired and I’ve witnessed enough of your sarcasm out in the ballroom tonight. Not here too, _please_.”

“But did you not see it? I swear that was a _swan_ on top of her hat. Or perhaps the swan was the hat? And it certainly looked real,” Regis insisted and turned to face Clarus, “I was serious when I said that I was disappointed about not getting to hear the full story about that. You’ve robbed me of that, my dear Clarus.”

Regis sighed as he let his underwear fall to the floor, then he limped up to the bed and slipped in underneath the blankets, shivering a bit. The air in the room was cold, but Regis preferred that over heat, even if it sometimes made his joints ache more.

“I’m sure you’ll survive without that story, love,” Clarus said lightly as he folded his last piece of clothing, standing up to place them on a chair nearby the bed before heading over to the other side, getting in next to Regis, “If it truly keeps you up at night, then you can just send a letter inquiring about it later.”

“What was that about a reward?” Regis murmured after a while, but his eyelids were already fluttering shut.

The exhaustion was catching up to him quickly, it usually did whenever they weren’t being watched. Petulance and stubbornness could get Regis far, but it wouldn't keep him going forever.

Clarus sighed as he wrapped an arm around Regis and pulled him closer. 

“Consider me joining you for the night as one reward,” Clarus said and kissed Regis’ forehead, “You’ll get the second part when you’re rested.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Regis murmured and relaxed against Clarus’ warm body, “I won’t... forget.”

“Of course you won’t.”

“Love you."

“Love you too," Clarus replied even if he was fairly sure that Regis already was dozing off judging by how his breathing was changing, "Even when you're acting like a child."

**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote something that isn't angst? Miracles do happen!


End file.
